Dump-car and door-operating mechanism therefor



APPLICAUON FILED AUG-27, I920.

- Patented July 5, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET-l.

A. CAMPBELL.

DUMP CAR AND DOOR. OPERATING MECHANISM THEREFOR.

APPLICATION mw AUG-27. 1920.

1,3 3,283, Patented July 5,1921.

2 SHEEN-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

ARGYLE CAMPBELL, or onrceeo, rumors; nssreivon' TO ENTERPRISE RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, or CHICAGO, ILLnvoIs, A conrona'rron or ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent. I

Patented July 5, 1921.

Application filed August 27, 1920. Serial No. 406,285;

One object of the invention is to provide a simple and efficient door operating mechanism for dump cars and more particu- .larly for dump cars of the side dumping type used for coal, coke, et cetera, and wherein the operator is required to position himself at the end of the car while unloading or closing the doors.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dump car and door operating mechanisnrtherefor so arranged that the door operating mechanism may be conveniently and safely operated at the end of the car.

Other object of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure l is an'end elevational view of a dump car illustrating my improvements in connection therewith. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal central vertical section of the dump car shown in F ig. l and corresponding substantially to the line 22 of the latter. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view corresponding substantially to the line of Fig. 2. And Fig. at is a detail view corresponding to the section line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

In said drawings, the car is designated generally by the reference letter A, the same being of that type having vert1cal side walls 10-10, vertical end walls ll-"11, sloping,

end hopper bottom walls 12-12 and a central longitudinally extending ridge 13, di-' viding the car into side dumping hoppers,

as clearly appears from Fig. 1. The car is provided along the sides thereof with a plurality of side dumping hopper doors lee-14, preferably four on a side, the same being hinged along their top edges in any suitable manner to the side sills or side walls of the car. The draft sills of the car are indicatedat 15 in Fig. 2, the bolster at 16 and the end sill at 17 with a narrow platform provided at 18 above the end sill. The end. walls 11 of the car are suitably braced by angle posts 19-19. The ends of the individual hoppers are defined by transverse verical hopper sheets 20-20, as indicated in Fig. 2, there being spacesbetween the hoppers as indicated at 21, to accommodate the elements of the door mechanism, hereinafter described.

The doors are all preferably operated simultaneously. Along each side of the car under the downwardly and outwardly sloping hopper sheets, is extended a shaft 22 mounted in suitable bearing brackets supported by the cross members of the car underframe and hoppers. Said shaft 22 is prov ded at intervals therealong with rigid arms 23 to which are pivoted bent links 24,

' the opposite ends of the latter being in turn pivoted as indicated at 25 to suitable brackets on the doors 1 1. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the links 24 are connected to the doors at the ends of the latter or to connectors between the doors so that the doors may all be operated simul' taneously. As clearly appears from Fig. 1, the points of pivotal connections at the ends of the links 24 are so disposed that a line joining the same will pass either through or slightly below the axis of the shafts 22 when the doors are in closed position. With this arrangement, the mechanism is made substantially self-locking and the shafts 22 re- %16X$Cl of torsional strain while carrying the The shafts 22 are simultaneously operated by a plurality of chains or other equivalent flexible connections 26-26 which pass over sheave wheels 27 and 28 on the shafts 22 and shaft 29, respectively. As indicated conventionally in Fig. 1, one of the chains 26 will be crossed so that, as the shaft 29 is rotated in one direction, the two shafts 22 will be retated in opposite directions due to the left and right hand mounting of the doors.

The shaft 29 is located just beneath the apex of the ridge 18, that is, it extends centrally horizontally and longitudinally of the car and for a distance slightly more than one-half of the length of the car. The center of the car is between the two sets of sheave wheels 28-28 and it will be seen that the shaft 29 terminates slightly to the left thereof, as'viewed in Fig. 2. .Said shaft 29 i ismounted in suitable bearings carried by the cross members of the "car underframe, the righthandend of the shaft, as viewed in Fig. 2, being extended through bolster extension plates 30--30 to a point approximately over the axle of the outer set of wheels. At said end; the shaft 29is mount ed-in suitable bearings provided by an upsta'nding casing or housing3l-mounted 0n uthe-vdraftsills -15, as @shownin Fig. 3.

dicated at. 33-33.

- WheelS i; the latternieshing with a smaller gear or pinion 35, also contained withinthe housing i 31 and carried by. a stud or short operating shaft 36. Movement oftheshaft 29 to the left is prevented by astopplate STE-and .movement to the right :is prevented a i by-anotherstop 'plate 38.

The: stud or operating :shaft 36Lis extended outwardly beyond the vertical plane defined by the atertical end ll ofithe hopper. wA-zsuitable bearing is: provided forsaid- 'shaft 36 :I as indicated at 89, saidbearing being carried" aiplateAO riveted to :two uprights 4l41.

Outside of-thei plate 405, the shaft 36 carries-.5

as ratchet 1 wheel with "which is wadapted to-icooperate a pivotedllockingidog43; A

lOC-klDg ZCZUII .44: ofwellknownformis arr-anged to cooperate with the: dog 43 to hold- .bolsterand end sill .atlone :end of the car;

' isthe rlatter w in locked. position.

. .Outside of or: beyond-the ratchet .wheel 42, the shaft 36 carries. airatchet Wh6l45 which-isstraddledby the forked ends 416 of an operating ihandle 47 "Ar reversible or double acting pivoted;gravityecontrolled pawl: 48 iispcarried by the: operating handle 47, said pawl being arrangedto cooperate with the ratchet wheeli 45 to effect rotation i llhe i:

.izcludinganlevery for rotating said second -Sl1Lft,-Sa1Cl leverflnormally extending upof the shaft:36 in' either direction. handle or "lever 47 may beheld innvertical 1 position; when not in use; by a-short section -tended squared section 50 by whiclrthe shaft may be operated with a claw bar. or other tool, if sameshould become. necessary ;at anyof chain 48 carried by a cross bar 49 secured to. the said :up'rights 41. Outside of the operating:lever 47, the shaft36 hasan extime byrreason of failure of the operating ratchet mechanism.

In actual practice; tlieratio of thepinion- 35 to the {gear 34 will preferably be made l tos2 so asto increaseitherleverage ratio and render it :easier foritheoperatonto efefect closing and opening ofithe doors. Vith my-construction, it i will. be-observed that theopenator may stand upon .theigend 1 csill. :and effect .the closing and opening of the .doorswithout danger of injury either from the operating mechanism itselforifrom i adjacent cars. The arrangement is also unusually compactand all of the parts are so located as to be free from, injury from the discharged loads and furthermore the operating mechanism doesnot-utilize any of the load-carrying space of the car but on the contrary is placed in space that isordinarily not utilized. As will be understood by those skilled: in: thevartathe pawl 4L8, as shown in Fig. 1, is positioned so as toeifect opening of the doors when the operatinghandle l'T-is 'swung to tlie left as viewed in Fig. '1. This producesa 'C011l1il6l-'lOCl W1S6 rotation Oii tl1e pi1'ii0n 35'and aclockwise rotation of thegear-M. Aftentheshafts 22 have been 'partially rotated rind-sufficiently to release theself-locking linkages, the:do0rs will fly open under the effect of the load and this is f carriedout without danger tothe operator since'the'shaft 36 will rotate in arounterclockwise direction and the ratchet wheel 45 will run freely under the p aw-l .48.

I have herein shown and describeddwhat I now consider'the preferred manner of carrying outxthe invention but the same ismerely illustrative. and 1 I contemplate all -=chan-ges' and modificationsthat come Within the-scope of the claims appended hereto.

liclaim 1a In adump car having a longitudinally extending. central ridge. and -side dumping hopper doors: the combination w th alongi- -tudinal1y and horizontally extending shaft J disposedbeneath.theapex of said ridge, one

end of said shaft -terminating betweena OflCODIiotiOliS between said shaft and the doors; a second short shaft at said endof the car extending horizontally,: said short ishaft hayingits outer end terminating above and adjacentito saidend-sill and itsiother end longitudinally: overlapping the adj acent send ofsaidfirst shaft; means at the: outer end of said a second shaft adapted to :lock the latterppawl and ratchet mechanism, in-

wardly from said-second. shaftand operwith sloping end wall s and a longitudinally extencling-=-centially d sposed ridgeysaid car able by the userwhen thelatter is standing having-also side=dumping hopper doors; a

longitudinally and horizontally extending .anain shaft disposed beneath the apex of said ridge and'located above the tops of the draft sills, one end of said shaft being extended to avpoint between a bolster and an end sill of. the car; connections between said main shaft the doors; a gear on the endof isaidmiain shaft nearest theend. sill; a short horizontally extending operating shaft hav ing a pinion thereon cooperable with said gear; a housing and bearing bracket for said pinion, gear and shafts; and means, accessible for operation when the operator is standing upon the end sill, for effecting rotation of said operating shaft.

3. A dump car having a hopper provided with sloping end Walls and a longitudinally extending centrally disposed ridge, said car having also side dumping hopper doors; a longitudinally and horizontally extending main shaft disposed beneath the apex of said ridge and located above the tops of the draft sills, one end of said shaft being extended to a point between a bolster and an end sill of the car; connections between said main shaft and the doors; a gear on the end of said main shaft nearest the end sill; a short horizontally extending operating shaft having a pinion thereon cooperable with said gear and located above said main shaft; a housing and bearing bracket mounted on the draft sills for said pinion, gear and shafts; means, accessible for operation when the operator is standing upon the end sill,

for effecting rotation of said operating shaft, said means including a ratchet wheel on the outer end of said operating shaft, an operating handle oscillatably mounted on said shaft, and a pawl carried by said handle and cooperable with said ratchet wheel, said handle swinging in a vertical plane above the end sill.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 9th day of August, 1920.

ARGYLE CAMPBELL.

lVitness P. M. MERRIOK. 

